White House official: We can't exclude Canada from tariffs

"Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum will only come off if new & fair NAFTA agreement is signed", he said in one of a series of tweets. But so far that has not happened, and friction between the US and its trade partners appears to be growing.

"As President Trump has said, we hope for a successful completion of these talks and we would prefer a three-way, tripart agreement".

He added more details in an interview with CNN: "Canada's 40 per cent of the (American aluminum) market".

"You never discuss publicly anything you're going to do, until you do it, if you are a responsible government", Mulroney said.

"We are not looking to get into trade wars", Secretary Mnuchin said Tuesday during a congressional committee hearing when asked about the tariffs. "Now, one of them made that statement before I got elected", he said.

This prompted Trump to fire back a threat to tax cars from the EU, further fuelling fears of a full-on transatlantic trade war erupting.

"The European Union has been particularly tough on the United States", Trump said as he hosted Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven at the White House.

Lidington also says Britain's experience shows that protectionism doesn't work. The cost of new appliances, cars and buildings will rise for Americans if the president follows through, they warn, and other nations could retaliate.

Congress could try to attach language to the spending bill due late this month restricting the ability of the administration to impose tariffs, while many Republicans were calling for hearings or urging the administration to limit the extent of the tariffs.

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A spokeswoman for Paul Ryan said the House Speaker was "extremely worried" about the proposed tariffs and urged the White House "to not advance with this plan". This is their opportunity to exercise their power in support of free trade. "The president needs to have the courage to do that". They laugh at what fools our leaders have been. It's a fraction of what it once was.

This would mean taxing certain specific US products to send a political message to Trump - possibly targeting businesses located in states favourable to the president.

"As soon as you exempt one country, then you have to exempt another country", Navarro says.

"I'm not going to provide a commentary on the Trump administration's trustworthiness", Ciobo said on Saturday when it became clear that Australia would likely not be spared. But it's one of those things. "I have not heard him describe particular exemptions just yet".

Europeans might hanker after blue jeans and Kentucky bourbon, but they don't have much appetite for American steel. This, in turn, will impact the user industries, which will be less competitive.

Trade politics often cut along regional, rather than ideological, lines.